Just Turn Left
by Rori Potter
Summary: The chance meeting of two people changed everything - even death. (FemHarry)
1. Chapter 1: Unsteady

Just Turn Left

Chapter 1

Unsteady

There were times that she felt she knew where her life was going. Other times it felt like she was stepping into a deep abyss of uncertainty. Right now, as she sat in front of Andromeda's death bed, she knew she was stepping into the abyss of her life. In the background, she could hear Teddy's chatter to no one. Her godson only had her left. The fan continued overhead drying her tears. His parents, grandparents, and other family members gone before he truly knew them. The shuffle of someone beyond her reminded her it was time. Time to let Andromeda go. But as she picked up Teddy, she knew that Andromeda had been gone for a while now. Now she needed to live again.

* * *

It was the end of his tour and he felt drained. As he headed into a nearby coffee shop he dug around for some money. With a groan, he wondered if he had any cash left on him. Resigned to having to wait until he was home he turned to leave. A voice stopped him.

"It's on the house officer," a woman's voice called out. He spun around to see a petite woman with long black curly hair and emerald green eyes behind the counter. She was already getting a cup for his coffee.

"Are you sure?" he asked tiredly. A smile crossed her face.

"Yes, I am sure," she said. "What would you like?" After relating his coffee order, he pulled off his mittens and took a seat. He slumped down into his seat, his day catching up to him. It had been a long day but thankfully he had the next day off. He was close to falling asleep in his seat when a cup of coffee and two plates of food was placed in front of him. The warm cinnamon roll took up most the first plate. Next to the roll sat carefully cut strawberries. The bigger plate held French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. Blearily he looked up at the woman.

"I didn't ask for any food," confusion clear in his voice. She smiled.

"I know but you look like a good wind could knock you over right now," she told him. "Whenever my friend comes off a shift he's tired and hungry enough to eat a horse. I figured you might be the same. Anything you don't eat I can pack it up for you so you can take it home." She grinned as she took a seat across from him. "Besides I tried something different with the French toast, I want another person's opinion." Too tired to argue, he took a gulp from his coffee and started on the French toast. He was surprised when he realized a bite of the toast had a mix of French vanilla and chocolate, all in one.

"What did you do to the French toast?" he asked as he continued eating.

"Well I made the bread and mixed in vanilla and chocolate chips in the batter before I put it in the oven," she told him. He starred at her in surprise.

"I don't know how this place isn't full if you cook like this all this time," he told her as he started on the eggs. She laughed.

"I was closing when you walked in," she said. Guilt rushed through him. The eggs didn't seem quite as good now.

"I can get the rest of this to go and you can finish closing," he said as he stood. She shook her head.

"There is no need to rush, officer," she told him. "I won't be heading home for another hour or so any way." Confused he glanced over at her.

"Why not?"

"I don't like walking home when it is this dark by myself," she said gesturing to the outside. "Besides I get a lot done in that hour."

"I could walk you home," he offered. She shook her head as she got up.

"There's no need," she told him. "I'm fine waiting."

"Then I'll wait with you," he said as he returned to his breakfast. She glanced at him, surprise written on her face.

"You don't need to do that," she told him.

"I have been raised to be a gentleman and learned to be an officer," he told her. "If you don't feel safe walking home at this hour, I'll stay with you until you do." She sighed.

"You win, officer," she gave in. "You can walk me home when you are done eating." He grinned and took his seat again. "What's your name?"

"Joe," he said. "Joe Reagan. What's your name?"

"RJ Potter-Black."

* * *

Books upon books lined the walls. Small, tall, wide, and thin. Some paperback, some hardcover. She had read every book upon the shelves but sometimes she returned to them. She returned to them because they were the only good memories she had from her childhood. Fairytales, mysteries, and romances kept her going when she could barely breath because of damage to her ribs or when her leg was broken from being pushed down the stairs. Although she loved her restaurants, she loved cooking, this bookstore was her heart. As she climbed down the ladder, she ran through a list of things she needed to before she closed. Then just as quickly-

"Ooof!" To her surprise, she didn't land on the floor but in someone's arms. Then she was placed on her feet gently. She turned around to see a familiar face. Joe Reagan.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?' she asked.

"Getting a book for my sister," Joe said. "This is the only bookstore I could find that had the book." She looked over at her rows of books with a raised eyebrow.

"You might want to narrow it down a bit," she told him amused. Grinning he handed her a sheet of paper with the book listed. She raised an eyebrow at the title. "I take it she's a lawyer or working to be one?" Joe snorted.

"She's been acting a lawyer our entire time growing up but she's an ADA," Joe told her. "She was railing on about how she couldn't find these books at Sunday dinner and about how helpful they would be. I did some poking around and found them in this bookstore. I couldn't find them anywhere but here."

* * *

"Regina Potter?" Surprised, she turned around. A NYPD officer she didn't recognize stood in the door hesitantly.

"Can I help you?" she asked. The young officer looked sheepish as he stepped forward.

"I'm Jamie Reagan," he told her. Immediately she took a seat in a nearby booth.

"I haven't heard the name Reagan in a while," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "What are you doing here?" He shifted slightly before pulling out an envelope and handing it to her.

"We were going through some of his things recently and found this," he told her. He watched her for a moment before taking a seat.

"Before yesterday none of us had even heard your name," he told her hesitantly. "If I may ask, how did you know Joe?" She smiled sadly.

"We met right here in this restaurant," she said. "He saved me."


	2. Chapter 2: All of these Moments

Just Turn Left

Chapter 2

All of these Moments

Tall, lush green beautiful trees surrounded the biking path. Trees of various sizes lined her sight as she took another curve. She grinned as she heard whooping from her right. She glanced back at her godson. He was excited, it was his first long bike ride since his training wheels had been taken off. She had been hesitant, he was only 7 years old. However, after he managed to beat her in a race around their basketball court, she took the training wheels off.

"Hey Aunt Reggie, how long until we can eat something?" Teddy asked. A quick glance at her watch told her it was lunch time. She looked around and spotted a good spot for them to eat.

"Let's stop and we'll eat over here," she said. Both slowed their bikes and stopped them next to an open piece of grass. She pulled a blue blanket out of the basket on the front of her bike. Teddy opened the ice container that was in his basket and put it on the blanket. He was pulling out a couple of sodas for them when she heard a familiar voice.

"Don't tell me, you made the soda at your diner," Joe said amused as he walked up to them. Teddy snorted, spilling soda all over the blanket. Absentmindly she handed napkins to Teddy and watched as he dabbed at the mess he had made.

"No, it's this newfangled thing called going to the store," she teased. "I don't make everything I eat or drink." Joe rolled his eyes and without asking his permission plopped right down next to her while grabbing a sandwich from the basket. RJ scowled at him, he returned with a grin as he began eating the sandwich. Teddy starred at them in bewilderment.

"Who are you?" Teddy asked curiously. RJ raised an eyebrow at him to see how he would respond.

"I'm Joe, Joe Reagan," he told Teddy. "I'm a friend of RJ. What is your name?"

"I'm Teddy, Aunt Reggie is my godmother," Teddy said as he grabbed a sandwich and a bag of chips. "Do you have a godmother? What about a godfather?" Joe chuckled. RJ watched them amused.

"Teddy take a breath and eat," RJ reminded him. Teddy turned pink before he returned to his food. Before Joe could even protest she shoved a piece of cheesecake in front of him. While he stared at the cheesecake in awe, RJ handed Teddy a slice as well. Shaking himself out of his shock, he pulled out his phone and took a picture. With a mischievous look, he attached the picture in a message and sent a copy to his siblings with the caption – "homemade and it tastes sooooo good!" He jumped slightly when he heard RJ giggling. He almost fell into her when he realized how close she was.

"What is so funny?" he wondered as he grabbed a fork.

"Your text, it reminds me of Fred and George," she said between bites of cheesecake.

"Who is Fred and George?"

"Older brothers of one of my friends from growing up," she explained. "Although I became friends with them when we were on the same house team."

"How do I remind you of them?" he asked.

"They are mischievous to the hilt," she said. "They own a chain of joke shops." Joe turned to her with wide eyes.

"I love pranks," he told her, eyes blown up wide. She smiled.

"You'll fit right in," she told him as they began packing away the picnic.

* * *

When he arrived after his tour, the diner was buzzing with people. Thankfully he was able to snatch a chair up front. For hours, he watched her race around. Employees danced around each other with practiced ease. Delicious aromas filed the area plates, bowls, and cups came from the kitchen. It was just beginning to slow down in the diner when his phone rang.

"Reagan," he answered the phone. By the time, RJ was standing in front of him, all he could think was "it can't be, no it can't be."

"Joe, what's wrong?" she asked softly.

"My mom, my mom passed away," Joe managed to get out. He felt like he couldn't breathe. The world seemed to be closing in on him. A cup filled with something sweet smelling appeared in front of him. Without thought, he drank it all. Slowly he could feel himself calming down. "I-I should get home."

"I'll take you," RJ said as she grabbed her keys and purse. Joe shook his head.

"No," he refused. "No I just-I just can't. I need to be with my family." Nearly already out the door he missed how her face fell. She slumped down in a barstool in front of the counter and watched as he got into his car before disappearing out of sight. One of her employees removed the glass Joe had drank from before handing her a mug of her favorite hot chocolate. She barely noted his presence before he headed into the back. As she wrapped her hand around the mug of hot chocolate, the heat reminded her that life continued.

* * *

The house was solemn, dark. The death of his mother seemed to remove all of the light. People milled around the home in black clothing quietly talking or getting more food. He spotted his younger brother with his fiancé in the corner, heads leaning in. He headed over to them, grabbing a plate and putting food on it blindly. When he sat in front of them, he noticed the amused look on his brother's face.

"What?"

"You grabbed asparagus, you hate asparagus," Jamie pointed out. A quick look at his plate told him his brother wasn't messing with him.

"I guess I should have paid attention to what I put on my plate," Joe realized. Jamie snickered. He shrugged and ate what was on his plate. Jamie stared at him wide-eyed when he polished off the last of the asparagus.

"You hate asparagus and you just ate it," Jamie said astonished.

"RJ only takes into account my allergies," Joe commented. "She says you can't truly hate something unless you've had it so often you gag at the sight of it."

"Who is RJ?" Joe opened his mouth to respond when his father appeared by his side.

"Hey dad, how are you?"


	3. Chapter 3: Family

Just Turn Left

Chapter 3

Family

As he pulled up to his father's house, he ran through the last few weeks. He had barely seen RJ as she became busier with the holidays. Her restaurants were booming and she spent any free time she had with her godson. Teddy was a happy little boy. It amazed Joe that Teddy managed to bounce back from the loss of his parents and grandparents at such a young age. He was still struggling with the loss of his mother.

"Oi, Joe!" Jamie called out. Joe spun around and smiled when he spotted his brother walking up the stairs.

"Hey Jamie, how's that girl of yours?" Joe asked as they climbed the last of the steps to the house. Jamie grinned as he updated Joe. Joe half listened as his mind wandered once again towards RJ once again.

* * *

"Joe you still listening?" Jamie asked as they walked into the kitchen. Joe shook his head as he redirected his attention.

"Sorry I am just worried about someone," Joe said as they pulled food from various places in the kitchen.

"Why are you worried?" Jamie asked.

"I haven't been able to see her lately and I think she's pushing herself to hard," Joe said.

"Do you want me or Syd to pop in and check on her?" Jamie asked. "I hear she's got a couple of great restaurants so it wouldn't be remiss if we happened to have a date in one."

"I don't know," Joe hesitated. His phone chimed with a text message. Joe sighed. "She just cancelled again." He quietly pulled plates down from a cupboard. "She'll be at _Nox_ this week and _Protego_ the next week." Jamie nodded as they began to pull dinner into the dining room.

* * *

"Are you sure Joe wants us to check in on her?" Sydney asked as she got ready for dinner.

"Yes I'm sure," Jamie called out from the bathroom. "He's worried about her and she keeps ducking him. He thinks that she'll be more likely to talk to you or me."

"Why is that?" Sydney called back.

"Because we're lawyers not cops," Jamie said as he straightened out his shirt. Sydney gave him a concerned look.

"Is she a criminal?" Sydney wondered. Jamie chuckled.

"No her parents were both MI-6 and she was too for several years," Jamie told her as he picked up his wallet. "She's just worried about getting close to him. She's lost several people over the years including her parents when she was a baby."

"She's an orphan?" Sydney asked in surprise. "Who raised her after her parents died?"

"Her dad's old partner and her godfather," said Jamie. "He died when she was 18. Blood clot in the brain."

"Did she ever marry?" Sydney wondered.

"Not that I know of," Jamie said as Sydney locked up.

"Then is Teddy adopted?" Sydney wondered.

"Teddy is her godson," Jamie said. "He's an orphan too. He lost his parents to the job within a month of each other. Teddy lost his grandmother two months later and she came to the states 6 months later."

* * *

As they ate their food Jamie scanned the restaurant to see if he could spot RJ. However he was distracted by the amazing food. Soon conversation picked up about random things going on in their lives. A waiter came out to ask if they wanted dessert and Jamie was surprised to see it wasn't an ordinary waiter but the restaurant owner herself.

"RJ?" Jamie asked surprised. She reared back in surprise.

"Do I know you?" she wondered.

"You know his brother, Joe," Sydney told her as she pursued the dessert menu. "We were bugging him about his knack for having access to good food lately. He finally told us about you and your restaurants. The food is amazing."

"He has you two checking up on me, doesn't he?" RJ asked amused. "I should have figured. Could I talk to you in private Jamie?" Jamie glanced at Sydney who nodded her consent.

"Sure," Jamie said as he followed her into her office. "What's going on?"

"I need to make a will," she told him bluntly. Jamie starred at her in surprise.

"Is there any particular reason why?" Jamie asked. RJ sighed.

"There has been a string of robberies in this neighborhood other restaurants and I'm all Teddy has," RJ said as she paced the length of the room.

"So you've been avoiding Joe because of this?" Jamie wondered. She starred at him in surprise.

"No, no," she denied.

"You can drop by my office and I can go over everything with you so I can get your will written," Jamie said as he handed her his card. "If you hear anything about those robberies, I put my sister's number on the back as well as my dad's. Either one can help there."

"Thanks," she said quietly as she fingered the card he handed her. "I overheard him talking to someone, that's why I have been avoiding him."

"What did you overhear that had you avoiding him?" Jamie wondered.

"He-I'm not sure if I should say anything," she said as she chewed on her lips. Jamie raised an eyebrow.

"We have attorney client privilege right now, you can tell me anything," Jamie reminded her. RJ sighed.

"I um-I think he's undercover for something big," she admitted. "But I can tell it's dangerous and I'm worried about him. I've lost enough people Jamie, I can't bare to lose him too."

"I had no idea," Jamie said dumbfounded. "Are you sure? What did you hear exactly?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you," she hesitated.

"Who would you be willing to tell?" Jamie asked.

"Your father."

* * *

"Baker please come in here," Frank said as he looked at his schedule for the day.

"Yes sir," she said as she took a seat in front of him.

"Why do I have an appointment with Lady Potter-Black and why did I not already know about this?"

"Your son Jamie made the appointment for her as her attorney," Detective Baker informed him.

"What is the stated purpose of this meeting?" He asked as he began to reach for his phone.

"Confidential, she wouldn't even tell him under attorney-client privilege," she admitted. "However he did say that it had to do with Joe being undercover and working with the F.B.I."

"I haven't sanctioned any undercover operations for him," Frank said surprised. "How did I not know about this?"

"I believe that is part of what she would like to talk with you about," Detective Baker informed him. Frank sighed.

"You are dismissed," he said as he dialed the number for his son Jamie.

"Hello?"

"Jamie could you please tell me what is going on?"


	4. Chapter 4: Lost Memories

Just Turn Left

Chapter 4

Lost Memories

The first he thing he noticed about the man standing next to Regina was that he seemed to loom over everyone there. His skin was dark and reminded Jamie of a few people he had met from Africa. His stance was protective and stiff, and his eyes seemed to be on Regina and not on the service. Regina was stoic with no tears coming from her eyes. Beside her Teddy seemed to try and follow her example but big tears running down his face spoke to the emotional turmoil in the young boy. He had, over time, come to see Joe as an uncle – maybe even a future dad. His grip was tight on his godmother's hand and during parts of the speech, he buried his face in her side.

The fact that he was standing at his brother's funeral bothered him in more ways then he could describe. He and Joe had been inseparable and while he loved Danny and Erin, he wasn't as close to them as he was Joe. It appears as though it was just yesterday he was ribbing his brother for not asking out Regina yet and for tip toeing around a relationship with her. They were meant to be but now? Now, Regina had lost someone else and looked as though a light breeze would knock her over.

* * *

The funeral and wake that followed was beautiful, but she couldn't focus on that right now. Instead her eyes were focused on the man Jamie had spotted by her side at the funeral. She was sitting hunched over in a chair in her home while he kneeled in front of her waiting for her to be ready to speak.

"How long until they don't remember me?" she asked softly. He sighed and checked his watch. Her eyes followed his actions as though every single movement drained her.

"Within the hour," he gruffly answered. She stood and began to pace, he tracked her progress with a careful eye. "Are you sure this is the only way? Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I have no choice if I want to keep not only Joe safe but his family as well," she told him. "If anyone knows Joe is alive before we are ready, it could blow everything apart and many more people would die."

"That is a bit dramatic," he told her. "There has to be another way of taking this group down without all of this."

"Really?" she asked sarcastically. "Wow, I wish I had thought of that over the past several months, thank you so much for pointing that out to me! I really wish I has asked your opinion on this whole mess in the very beginning!" He cringed.

"If they don't remember me they have no reason to ask any questions about what happened, and they won't put themselves in harms way. If everyone, including his own family, thinks he is dead then he can put this group down quicker. I wish it wasn't like this, but it is."

For awhile the room remained dead silent after she sat next to him on the couch.

"Would you like me to stay with you until it's over?" he asked softly.

"Please," came her plea.

* * *

Over the next several months she carried on the best she could. She ran her business and kept occupied with Teddy. He was quieter, more sedate after the funeral for the first couple of weeks, but he seemed to be coming out of his shell. She knew he had grown attached to Joe just as she had. She made sure to check their previously set up dead drops as randomly as possible, so she knew he was okay, but she hadn't seen him in months.

The first month after everything had happened he spent recovering. She had revealed to him exactly who she was and what she could do. It took some time for him to process everything. But what took the most time was adjusting to the fact that his family thought him to be dead and that he couldn't see them for a while. He wouldn't let her near him after she explained how everything went down. She began to fear that everything she had done would be useless and he would go to his family anyway. She feared that he hated her. Then he asked to speak to her, he wanted to know how his family was doing and what needed to be done so he could be back with them. She was pulled out of her thoughts by a voice, a familiar voice.

"Regina Potter?" Surprised, she turned around. A NYPD officer she didn't recognize stood in the door hesitantly.

"Can I help you?" she asked. The young officer looked sheepish as he stepped forward.

"I'm Jamie Reagan," he told her. Immediately she took a seat in a nearby booth.

"I haven't heard the name Reagan in a while," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "What are you doing here?" He shifted slightly before pulling out an envelope and handing it to her.

"We were going through some of his things recently and found this," he told her. He watched her for a moment before taking a seat.

"Before yesterday none of us had even heard your name," he told her hesitantly. "If I may ask, how did you know Joe?" She smiled sadly.

"We met right here in this restaurant," she said. "He saved me." Hesitantly he handed her the envelope.

"None of us looked in it," Jamie explained. He stood and then headed to the door before he looked back at her once more. "You seem so familiar, but I just can't place you." He shook his head before heading out to a police car parked on the street. She smiled when she spotted him rolling his eyes at what could only be his trainer. When she had heard that Jamie had decided to become a cop, she almost had a heart attack. Little Jamie a cop? But she realized that the death of his older brother had changed him in more ways than imagined. The response she had got from Joe when she had sent him a message was down right hilarious.

Shaking away her thoughts she headed into her office in the back of the restaurant and opened the envelope. With shaking hands, she read his words.

 _Dear Regina,_

 _If this letter somehow reaches you, it means that it is time to put our plan into action. I know your part will not be easy why is which I included a few things with this letter to help you. My father will be the hardest to convince. I have watched him from afar and my death hit him hard, but we will need his help. Jamie on the other hand might be the easiest to convince. The best way to get them on your side is to show them the letters I have included for each of them. I have explained all I can. There is something going down this Saturday and I have all the evidence needed to take them down. I have entrusted it all to the King. He has made copies and forwarded them to my dad and Erin. They should receive the information tomorrow. I set up an appointment for you tomorrow morning with my dad using your title which will get his attention. Before you step in his office, he will have, hopefully, seen all of the evidence. I wish you luck my dear and I hope we can all be together again soon._

 _With all my love,_

 _Joe_

 _P.S. – Tell the little Rugrat, I am expecting a lot of chocolate when I get home and that I will see him soon._


	5. Chapter 5: Ready or Not

Just Turn Left

Chapter 5

Ready or Not

The inky darkness provided a cold comfort as she exited her car on the strange street. She wrapped her coat closer to her body as she rushed down the street, her eyes remaining on her destination as she moved closer. Her body hummed in excitement as she reached the door, a quick calculated knock reminded her why she was standing on the unfamiliar porch in the middle of the night. As the door swung open, her heart raced and her paranoia rose. Had she been followed? Did someone find out why she was there? Then -

"Welcome."

* * *

The information they already had surprised her. She shouldn't have been, she realized. Before they knew her, before Joe knew her - Joe had a life and these people were his family. To them - he was a brother, a friend, a son, a grandson, and a confident.

She knew that his loss hit them hard, she had watched as closely as she could from the shadows. She knew that Jamie had left behind his work as a lawyer and became a cop, she knew that he had also lost his fiance in the time that had passed since Joe's death. His father and grandfather had taken comfort in their church to deal with his death not to long after Joe's mother had died. She should have realized that no matter what she did, they would have looked into Joe's death.

"I tried to keep your family out of it," Regina began, amid loud protests. "I knew that Joe would be worried for your safety and he couldn't be distracted from taking this group down. I took several steps to ensure that you wouldn't remember me." She gave a dry chuckle. "I even set it up so that you wouldn't be too interested into looking into his death, I should have known that what I had done would have never stopped you. After all, I am proof that love for your family can drive you to do almost anything when you set your mind to it."

"What did you do to us?!" Danny shouted at her as moved closer to her, his brother holding him back with the help of Linda.

"I'm afraid I am not allowed to divulge that to you without getting in trouble for threatening national security," she admitted grimly to their surprise. "The skills I used trace back to what I learned when I worked for MI6 and they are still used today so unless you have the appropriate clearance you are legally unable to know." Danny fought against his brother but his wife placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that had him sink into a nearby chair.

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Henry demanded, his voice colder than Antarctica. She pulled out the letters from her bag and handed them to each person.

"After he recovered from his injuries, we set up dead drops all over for him to send information to me," she told them as they looked at the letters curiously. "On my last visit to a dead drop, I discovered these.

The last time I saw him in person, he told me that when he felt he had enough information to take them down he would send letters to each of you explaining everything. He never let me look at the letters but he said in order for you to trust me, I needed to bring them to you straight away." She allowed herself to rest in a nearby chair as each person opened the letters and then read them. As each second, each minute ticked by Regina could feel a knot grow in her stomach as she wondered if she had just walked into a hostile situation with no winning.

"Let's get to work," Frank interrupted the silence. "We have a lot to do and someone to bring home."

* * *

After the raid was over, Regina hesitantly agreed to retrieve Joe so that he could legally be alive again. She spent several hours making sure she wasn't followed, muddying her trail to him with each random turn she took, each U-Turn she did, and each random stop she did. She kept a constant eye on the cars around, checking to see if any were following her. From the voices in her ear piece, Jamie and Danny, she hadn't been followed.

While the Blue Templar had been taken down, until they were dead or in prison (for life), she would not stop being cautious with his safety. When she reached the door of his hideout for the past year, she took a deep breath and knocked. The knock was a code to tell Joe she was alone and that it was safe, if it hadn't been she would have used another knock. The door swung open to reveal a tired, taught face of the man she loved.

"Come home, Joe. It's over."

As if by magic, his face lightened instantly, the exhaustion fell away and his slumped shoulders straightened at her words. He had a massive smile as he picked her up and spun her around.

"My family, how did they take everything?" Joe asked as he brought her into the apartment. She hesitated as she wondered how to respond and than a voice in her ear, told her how. She pulled the earwig out of her ear and placed it in Joe's while shifting her phone closer to him so that those on the other side could hear clearly.

"Hey guys, how did you take everything?" she wondered aloud, amused. Joe jumped at their sudden loud response as it come in through the earwig. He laughed at something one of them said before shaking his head and heading the earwig back to her.

She carefully put away the earwig after letting them know they would be on their way soon and then turned her attention to her surroundings. The apartment she sat in was cold, clinical. It reminded her of the safe houses she used when she did undercover work for MI6. She realized that to Joe that was all this place had been and by the way he was gathering his things, he was ready to go home. But she wondered, would she still be a part of it?

* * *

The trip to the Reagan family home was quiet as Joe vibrated in the passenger seat in excitement. He never noticed how stiff RJ was or the strained silence in the car as they came closer to his childhood home. However he did realize something was wrong after they brought everything into the house and she simply left, she didn't stay - she didn't even give him a hug or courteous goodbye before she drove off. Before he could think on it any further he was enveloped by his grateful family as they caught him up on anything and everything he had missed while "dead". It was only several hours later when he couldn't get to sleep that he began to think about her strange behavior once more.

Joe sat quietly in the living room with a drink in hand as he stared into fireplace wondering why RJ simply left. He was quick to react when he heard a sound in the room, which turned out to be Henry, his grandfather. He relaxed back into his seat and turned his attention back to the fire.

"Something's bothering you," Henry noted as he took a chair next to Joe.

"RJ," Joe admitted. "She just left, didn't say goodbye or even give me a hug before she drove off. She's never done that before. I keep going over in my head why she did that and I'm just… just lost on the reason why." Frank chuckled.

"For a great cop, you are pretty dense when it comes to matters of the heart," Frank said as he came into the room. Joe scoffed.

"What are you talking about?" Joe wondered.

"She's stepped back, given you room to breathe again after that has happened," Henry told him. "She wants you to truly think on whether you are in each other's lives out of necessity of survival or if you truly love her. With what she did to keep you safe, she already has her answer - she just wants to be sure you know yours."


End file.
